


They Protec, They Attac

by NoahLikesHummus



Series: Venom!Spidey AU [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Anne is awesome, Cannibalism, Gen, Peter Parker has the Venom Symbiote, So is Eddie, Venom Symbiote (Marvel) is a Little Shit, and failed once again, author tried to be serious, because venom, no beta we die like men, questionable morals, set during Captain America: Civil War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-06 03:40:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18842884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoahLikesHummus/pseuds/NoahLikesHummus
Summary: And most importantly, They Snac.(The sequel to ‘Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Does Whatever a Symbiote Can’ where Peter and Venom try to pretend everything is normal, discover chocolate, cause chaos and debate eating Tony Stark.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please read part 1 of the series before this part, as it will make a lot more sense.  
> It took me way too long to write this out, and procrastination hit hard. But then Endgame was released, and here be inspiration! Taking a bit of a break also gave me the opportunity to contemplate and do some more world building in regards to this series, along with what themes I want to explore and deal with along the way.   
> Hope you enjoy! :)

The dog is cradled close to their nervous heart as the sound of their blood circulating pounds like thunder in their ears. They stand anxiously in front of the door, debating. Procrastinating, really.

It is only in this moment that they truly realise the situation. They have changed so much in the past few days; they’ve met new people, saved the world from a vicious alien invasion and discovered a new taste of the raw and unique kind.

Just another day for some, but not them.

Not them.

Yet despite how they, once two separate entities, have changed, New York has stayed the same. Aunt May will still greet them with her kind smile and hugs, Ned will grin from ear to ear and geek out and they’ll still be the nerds in school, desperately trying to fit in despite the shallow minds of those surrounding them. Everything will be the same.

And Peter, along with Venom, will have to pretend that they, too, have not changed. They know that no one can find out about what society would dub a monster, hidden beneath human flesh. No one can know of the wolf in sheep’s clothing, lurking in their midst.

Being Spider-Man is one thing, but keeping up this other, darker façade is a whole other kettle of fish. The thought leads them with the desire to run, but no, they can’t do that. They care too much for May Parker, are too attached to Ned Leeds. They still remember Uncle Ben and the words spoken with both love and insight; _‘with great power comes great responsibility’._

They cannot leave, for they have a city to protect.

**Open the door. We’re cold.**

‘Riiiiight.’ Sarcasm. That’s normal for a teenager, right? ‘It’s like, 80 degrees out.’ They pause. ‘Okay, we can do this.’

Taking a deep breath, Peter, juggling the hairy white-brown dog in his arms, opens the door.

‘We’re home!’ They call out.

Almost as soon as the words have left their mouth, Aunt May appears, as though she has been awaiting their decision to enter. They are overthinking things, surely. She moves to pull them into a hug but pulls away at the last moment. Her mouth is twitching downwards, brows furrowed as she crosses her arms.

‘It’s good to see you back and well, kiddo.’ She says, pausing. ‘But why do you have a dog?’

Peter shifts nervously. ‘Err… Well, this is Shark.’ They introduce, slowly holding the dog out for Aunt May to inspect. ‘He’s… well… canwekeephimplease?’

‘Wha?’ Aunt May hesitantly pulls Shark into her own arms, smiling lightly as the Papillion snuffles at her neck. She scratches his stomach. ‘Look, Peter, he’s cute. He really is. But we’ve talked about pets before, and the landlord-’

‘Oh don’t worry about Mr. Dennis!’ Peter cuts in. ‘We… uhh… figured that it’d be a good idea to ask him first, so yeah.’ _Act normal, Parker, act completely normal._ ‘He’s, uhh, he said he was actually thinking about, y’know, making the building pet friendly, and, uhh, yeah.’

‘Is that so?’

Ooooh boy, Aunt May has that look on her face when she doesn’t believe a word Peter says. The one with her eyebrow raised and lips pursed, and it just makes Peter want to spill all their secrets there and then some.

But no, nu-uh, no way are they telling her that they (mainly Venom, in this instance) paid Mr. Dennis a visit, and maybe just slightly suggested that pet friendly buildings were all the rage. They may have also showed a few too many teeth.

After that, Mr. Dennis was all too quick to agree.

Aunt May _really_ doesn’t need to know any of that.

Woah, their moral compass is really screwed up now.

The Peter part of their Peter-Venom combination is aware that they should feel guilty about their actions, that scaring Mr. Dennis was the wrong way to go about things. But there isn't any remorse, though they do make a half-baked promise not to do anything like that again. Unless the person in question were to be a Really Bad Guy. With all capital letters.

Eventually, Aunt May loses the ‘spill all your beans’ look, sighs, and puts Shark on the ground. ‘All right kiddo, but if Mr. Dennis isn’t as okay with it as he said he was, Shark here will be needing to find a new home.’ She pauses. ‘And you’ll need to walk him, and feed him, and take him outside when he needs to go.’

‘Of course! We’ll take good care of him, Aunt May.’ Peter promises, and that should be the end of it. They should find themselves up in their room, getting ready for the next school day as though they haven’t missed the first two of the week. They’d contemplate going out as Spider-Man, and then realise that for their first day _supposedly_ out of the hospital, Aunt May would be checking up on them. Which means that they would end up spending the night inside, stir-crazy.

All in all, everything would go back to normal.

And all of those things will happen in due time, just a little later than expected, because Aunt May has this concerned look on her face and Peter and Venom are both suddenly very aware of every action they have taken in the last half an hour or so. Have they already given themselves away?

**Something is wrong.** Venom comments, and Peter has to bite their lip hard enough to draw blood to stop the response threatening to fly out of their mouth.

Eventually, Aunt May speaks.

‘Are you sure you’re feeling alright, Peter?’ She asks, moving to place a hand on his forehead. ‘When I called, you really didn’t sound well, and then there was the hospital and now…’

**Uh-oh.**

Peter groans at Venom’s very much unconcerned tone. Really, the Symbiote sounds more amused than anything. And part of that amusement rolls over to Peter. _‘Really?’_ They whisper under their breath, so quiet that surely Aunt May can’t hear them.

Aunt May must be worried sick, her nephew being away and sick. And they come back from their adventure in San Francisco with a _dog_ of all things…

… and an alien Symbiote riding shotgun that is most likely merging with their mind and body, but Aunt May doesn’t need to know that. Ever.

‘And now you’re using ‘we’, instead of ‘I’, which makes me worry, Peter.’

Peter blinks. They hadn’t even realised they were still doing that, but it does make sense. They are one body, but two minds, mangled and merged and someday they will become something _more_. But even then, they will be two. They will be they. They will be _we._

Really, they didn’t even realise they were doing anything abnormal. Apparently, pretending that everything is the same is going to be a whole lot more difficult than they had thought. Crud. They needed to come up with an excuse.

‘Uhh…’

**Shark.**

‘Shark!’ Peter repeats, grasping at the straws Venom throws for them. They glance towards the dog, who is lifting his hind leg near the couch. Aunt May follows their line of sight, and before she can start up on a whole other conversation about dogs and housetraining, Peter hurries to explain;

‘We- I- _eeeeeeeyyyyeeee-’_ They messed that up big time, but man does it feel wrong to call themselves something singular. ‘-eyes! Shark has eyes! And we-eeeeeell, _I_ have eyes too. So we’re eye buddies- _I_ mean so do you, have eyes, but we-wegs- yeah! Wegs! Like legs, but wigs and kegs!’

Grasping at straws, indeed.

Venom is crackling with laughter.

Aunt May is looking at them like they’ve gone crazy.

She’s not entirely wrong.

Peter clears their throat. They need to fix this situation before it tumbles further and further out of control. _Focus, Peter._ They tell themselves. _Separate ‘Peter’ from the mix of Peter-Venom for just one minute and talk to Aunt May like the perfectly sane teenage nephew she thinks you are._

‘I-I’m sorry. When I was talking about ‘we’, I meant Shark and myself. I just, got a bit attached and, yeah. I think I’m just… gonna go rest.’

‘You know what I think you need?’ Aunt May speaks up, just as Peter is about to head up the stairs to his room. They turn to her, apprehensive. They expect the worse at their outburst, the hospital, a psychologist, anything medical. Even the Avengers, ready to put a stop to another extra-terrestrial hiding among the human populace.

Instead, when Aunt May continues, she says; ‘I think you could use some of my magical get-well chicken soup, young man.’

**Food!**

Venom is enthusiastic, but the Peter part of their being feels nothing but dread. Aunt May’s ‘magical get-well chicken soup’? Magical isn’t quite the word they would use for it.

It turns out that while even a mutated Peter hadn’t been able to stomach the… thing Aunt May calls chicken soup, a Peter-enhanced-by-mutant-powers-and-alien-Symbiote can. Since Venom, they have become a bottomless pit that can eat anything.

Case in point, raw meets. Including raw chicken. And humans, but schematics.

Peter’s recently developed pleasure in eating humans (courtesy of Venom) is another thing to go on the list of _Things Aunt May Can’t Know. Ever._

They suspect that list is only going to get longer.

The Peter side of their being knows, distantly, that cannibalism is wrong on so many levels. That eating people is one of the most heinous, frowned upon things someone can do. But that part of their being is distant, altered so they can accommodate Venom in mind and body without being torn apart.

The feeling of teeth tearing through flesh, of blood and organs and bones descending into their stomach even though there should not be enough room; there’s a thrill to it. And that should scare Peter, but it _doesn’t._

Despite the chicken soup, they are still hungry. There is a hunger and bloodlust in their being that needs to be stated, by human or something else. The feeling is primal, but they need to pretend that everything is normal, that they are still _he_ and _one mind_. That they are not a natural predator. How will it be possible? They wonder, for they have changed too much in such a short amount of time. Surely people will notice.

They will contemplate it later. For now, they opt to ignore the call to protect the city and the hunger both.

‘Only the really bad people.’ Peter reminds themselves. But even then, they know that if they want to continue as Spider-Man, they need to find an alternative way to manage the bloodlust.

**Only the really bad people.** Venom’s voice rumbles in agreement.

* * *

So, Peter's first day back at school hasn't exactly been going to plan. After spending most of the night contemplating and preparing, a mask of 'Old Peter' firmly in place, they had come to the conclusion that things would run smoothly. That everything would be okay.

They would go to school, socialise with their best friend Ned, be attentive and eager to learn more in class, take the daily dose of bullying like 'Old Peter' had, live life, stay safe from discovery and so on.

What they (and in this instance they once again being mainly Venom) did not predict in all of the scenarios they played out, was how completely and utterly boring the learning aspect of school would be. Whereas before, Peter had knowledge and a drive to learn more and more, they now only have knowledge and a mild interest at the somewhat simple things being taught.

They also have less of an attention span. And a brand new 'screw the authorities' mentality that may have been a side effect of the events of the weekend, but is more than likely due to Venom's influence. Or maybe that’s something Peter, as a teenage vigilante, has had deep down all along. But who knows?

Unfortunately, thay hadn't realised that things could be so boring, nor how restless they would become, until class started, by which point it was too late to do anything. What's even worse? When people get bored, they eat. A common phenomenon, usually rectified by a bag of chips, a granola bar or at the very least a daydream about crispy, fried potatoes. Sometimes the desire can even be starved off by a glass of water.

For Peter though? Absolutely freaking not! It's not as though they could just drag good old senior Jimmy Jones out of class C-1 for a mid-morning snack.

**We could.**

_No, no we could freaking not._ _Jimmy Jones is an awesome dude with a heart of gold-plated rainbows on a fairy floss stick- **ooooh that actually sounds really nice.**_

Peter massages their temples. _We only eat really bad people._ They remind themselves.

**We could find a bad person, then?** Venom suggests, which, woah, great idea there, buddy. Except for the fact that if they don't learn to reign it in on the bad people eating, then there will be no more bad people left to eat.

Why couldn't they just be content with normal, human food? Tater Tots are awesome, but it’s just not the same.

**Because we are a predator.**

_Right, right, of course. The thrill of the hunt and all that. This is some Hannibal Lecter shi-shoot right here._

**What about the human throwing paper at the friend?**

Right. Because Flash is throwing balls of paper at Ned. Of freaking course he is. They are going to kill him, and eat him, and enjoy every freaking second of it.

_Don't eat Flash, Parker, don't do it. Do not eat Flash._

**_Why hello voice of reason, nice to finally meet you! We're Peter-Venom. How kind of you to visit, however late it may be._ **

As if signing his death warrant, a crumbled-up ball of paper hits Ned right in the back of the head. Ned flinches, though he tries to play things cool.

Okay, that settles it. They are going to kill Flash, screw the voice of reason.

The fact that all the jock-meat on his bones is extremely appetising has nothing to do with it, okay?

* * *

Ned was, so to say, officially concerned. Some might describe his feelings as being baffled. Others might say he is somewhat freaked out. None are wrong in this situation, because oh Thor what if Peter’s been replaced by a shapeshifting alien creature?

Or what if he’s possessed?

Or what if he’s gay? Sure, there’s nothing wrong with that. Ned is by no means straight himself, though he dare not admit it in the jock versus nerd school culture. And despite the way a lot of the cool kids act about it, the sexual education provided by the school had been surprisingly advanced and insightful.

Or maybe it’s Maybelline?

Ned is quite willing to accept any reasonable explanation at this point, because Peter is eyeing Flash off like a piece of meat he wants to devour. Which, woah. Peter’s never looked at anyone like that before. And Flash? Seriously?

Sure Flash is a well-built, toned, stupidly handsome teenager, Ned can’t deny that. He does have eyes. But it’s _Flash!_

_Flash!_

Bully extraordinaire!

Peter can do so much better than a guy twice his size that loves to pick on any and everyone deemed inferior in his eyes. Peter deserves so much better than an asshole like that! He deserves someone that can bring a smile to his face as he rants about all of the nerdy interests Flash would mock. He deserves someone that can sit through things by his side, the best and the worst. Who knows his favourite movies and foods and builds the latest Star Wars LEGO set while geeking out.

Ned sighs. If Peter really wants to be with Flash, which, eww, then Ned has to be the supportive best friend, despite his own feelings. It seems like a terrible idea, Peter and Flash. One destined for pain, misery and humiliation, and the thought of it makes Ned’s stomach churn, but if Peter really wants Flash like his, ugh, hungry gaze wants Flash’s body, then Ned is going to be the best supportive best friend ever.

Ned just hopes Flash won’t hurt Peter, even though he knows that’s the only way things can go.

He would never hurt Peter, damn it.

And so, with all the worry and envy dancing through his body, Ned blurts out; ‘I’m totally not gonna judge man, if you want to date Flash then that’s totally fine! I can even try to help set you up if you want…? You okay there, Peter?’

Ned trails off, envy being destroyed by concern as he takes in the appalled look on Peter’s face. They stare at each other for a moment, and Ned can’t help but think that he may have jumped to conclusions just a smidge. Curse those Soap Operas his mum makes him watch!

…Though there are a couple of good ones.

‘Oh god no!’ Peter says, eventually. He sounds even more disturbed than he looks. ‘Me and Flash? Dude, why would you even think that? He bullies us, constantly. **_He was throwing things at you in class!_** _’_ Okay now Peter's a little bit scary. And echoey. And… and are his eyes a bit shiny?

Huh, maybe possession isn’t too farfetched after all.

Ned lets out a small, nervous laugh, while trying to remember where the nearest church is. That’s a thing, right? Exorcisms at church? And are churches even open on weekdays? How can he not know these things! He should have payed more attention when Uncle Nelson bought his hot, catholic boyfriend over last Christmas.

But to be fair. Hot. Catholic. Boyfriend.

‘It’s just.’ He says, while thinking; _stall for time stall for time what do I do?_ ‘You were looking at him like a piece of meat, dude.’

Peter blinks, and suddenly the instinctual fear Ned was feeling disappears. ‘Oh cra- crud. We- I mean I- I was?’

Ned lets out a sigh he didn’t know he was holding in. _Oh thank Thor he sounds normal again._ Maybe he had just imagined things? Yeah. That’s probably what happened. ‘Yeah, you kinda were. Are you feeling okay?’

Peter gives him a reassuring smile. ‘I’m fine, just hungry.’

Ned pretends he doesn’t notice the way Peter’s eyes travel back to Flash for a moment, instead filing the moment into the tiny box at the back of his mind amply dubbed Pandora's Box. Pulling out a chocolate bar, Ned jokes; ‘Here man, eat a Snickers. You aren’t you when you’re hungry.’

* * *

Peter knows chocolate. They know that chocolate is a sweet treat, though dare they admit that the mass-produced sugary item has never been all that interesting. It’s also normally a bit of a delicacy, reserved for Aunt May on special occasions, or when they spend time at Ned’s house.

Honestly, Peter has never really understood what people think is so good about chocolate. It’s just… sweet.

Despite their disinterest, they take the chocolate bar, accepting Ned’s thoughtfulness for what it is. Peter is aware of their little slip up when talking about Flash. If a piece of chocolate will help reassure Ned, then, well, what are best friends for?

When they take their first bite out of the Snickers bar, however, their perception of reality as they know it changes. The first thing they notice is the overwhelming sweetness of the caramel filling, only slightly balanced out by the crunchy peanuts. The underwhelming feeling that usually accompanies biting into a bar of chocolate is there, side by side with the realisation that peanuts are supposed to be a no-go at school. They feel like past-Peter would have commented on that.

So far, they decide that Tater Tots are far superior.

And then it hits them. A very slight taste of a semi-sweet, melt-in-the-mouth goodness. The taste cannot be described in words, close to perfection but so wholly imperfect. They chase the taste somewhat desperately and with gusto, minds melding completely and screaming **_more more more_**. Yet at the same time everything is strangely silent, placid. Their distractions and restlessness disappear.

They forget about Flash, about engaging in any form of the hunt. All that remains is the desire to curl up and be surrounded by the incredible taste, to let this feeling last forever.

After finishing off the chocolate bar and chasing after any crumbs, Peter groans. They are only just aware enough of themselves to recognise that eating the wrapper would be considered a red flag, and that it might scare Ned away. Instead they grasp Ned’s shoulders, a tad tighter that they should be letting on, clinging in something akin to desperation.

They spend a moment staring at their friend, this incredible human being that has introduced them to such a wonderous, fulfilling food. Oh how much they love this friend of theirs.

‘You okay, Peter?’

They aim for a dopey smile. It probably shows far too many teeth, but is hopefully reassuring nonetheless. ‘Dude,’ they start, ‘what was that?’ There’s awe in their voice, along with an edge of desperation they don’t bother to hide.

Ned gives them a confused look, but answers the question; ‘That was a Snickers, Peter. You know, chocolate, caramel and-’ He looks around nervously, lowering his voice to a whisper. ‘-peanuts.’

It was the chocolate! Of course it is! How could they have been so blind, so ignorant? Chocolate is incredible, Old Peter was so wrong.

Something of their wonder must show, because Ned smiles and pulls another bar out of his backpack and holds it out to them. ‘Never thought you’d wake up to the wonders, dude. I was even starting to think you were being possessed or something.’

It’s a joke. Peter recognises that. Despite knowing, their muscles still tense. A little more of Venom bleeds into Peter as they prepare for any potential danger. But no, they need to calm down.

Their friend has no idea how close to the truth he is.

‘Do you want another bar?’ Ned offers.

Forcing themselves to act normal, they accept gladly.

It might just be the lasting effects of the chocolate, but the rest of the day passes by with a lot less struggle and contemplative murder.

* * *

Their first night back as New York’s Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man goes well. The sun has almost completely set, lights beginning to flicker on and become more prominent. As they swing from building to building, the wind whistles through their ears and the feeling of it all is freeing like nothing else ever has been.

Like this they are invincible, above the world below them and able to see and hear and smell _everything_.

They can tell when someone is in danger. If something has been stolen and when there is a cry for help, they leap into action. The burning desire to protect comes from both parts of their being, though with different motivations.

Peter wants to protect the city- the lives of those around him, no matter who. Peter wants to use their powers and protect the city they love, to live in the memory of Uncle Ben.

Venom wants to protect something else. Venom wants to protect Peter, this strange human that has shown them acceptance and care and the willingness to live with them. They want to protect their other half, who’s morals and love for humankind and its wonders has bled over and influenced Venom.

So yes, their first night on patrol goes without incident.

These two desires to protect are combined, merged and becoming something akin to instinct for both Peter and Venom. Instinct can be a strong thing, difficult to control and sometimes one doesn’t know something is instinctual until it is pointed out.

Perhaps that is why, when they are walking home from Ned’s in the late evening and they spot a man with a gun, the item hidden in the darkness of the alleyway, they react without thinking. There is another person hidden within that darkness, and they will protect the one that cries for help while also defending themselves.

In that moment, as the startled man pulls the trigger, they are neither Peter nor Venom. They are both; the perfect balance of two beings sharing the same body. They forget Peter’s morals and Venom’s determination to blend in. It is the same as when they fought against Riot.

They are vicious, instinctual and stronger, together.

They will protect.

Later, the man who has witnessed both Venom and Peter Parker promises not to tell. He thanks them for saving him, then scurries away fearfully into the night.

The fear shouldn’t hurt, but it does.

* * *

After that, while they are still the perfect combination of Peter and Venom, they call Eddie.

_‘Hate to break it to you guys, but you’re fucking terrifying- wait wait, no, that came out wrong. Fuck.’_ There’s a pause. _‘You saved someone, didn’t you?’_

**_‘Yes. But we also-’_ **

_‘People are scared of Spider-Man too, you know. And I mean, think about The Hulk… And all of the Avengers I guess. You’re different, don’t be ashamed of that.’_

**_‘We eat people.’_ **

_‘But only the really bad people, right?’_

**_‘Only the really bad people.’_ **

Every day for the next three months they repeat that mantra in their head, over and over again, distracting themselves from thinking about what actually makes a bad guy _Really Bad_.

* * *

After that, Peter and Venom begin to find a balance of normalcy in their lives.

At first school was difficult, but Ned, being the incredible friend he is, has started to provide them with chocolate at the end of the day, which makes things all worth it. The snacks put out at the Decathlon meetings once a week is an added bonus. There’s chocolate. There’s popcorn. And it makes for an awesome combination.

Sometimes they slip up, especially at home, and while Aunt May never comments, they know that she suspects something. Though despite this, she seems to have fully adopted Shark into the household, despite the chaotic little Papillion he is. Sometimes they wonder if she has figured anything out, but then reassure themselves.

**Our kind are almost non-existent now.** Venom reassures. **She has no way to know.**

_Dude,_ Peter thinks, _this planet has had how many alien invasions?_

**But none like us.**

_Not us._

They find a balance with being Spider-Man, too. Sometimes they’ll go out, donning the mask of a friendly neighbourhood vigilante. On those days and nights, they stop thefts and conflicts and even help a few cats out of trees, all while making puns and being as unintimidating as possible.

On the other days, shrouded in the darkness of the night, they sneak out as themselves, Peter and Venom as one. Clad in a beanie and baggy jacket they prowl the streets, a predator surrounded by unsuspecting prey. Sometimes they just wander, the night air freeing them to be themselves. Other times they are too dangerous to be around, driven by a hunger and thrill. On those nights they focus on staying in the shadows, seeking out the worst of the worst.

‘Wh-what are you?’ The Really Bad Guy at their feet stammers, stumbling to get away from their monstrous form.

And because as much as they are Venom, they are also Peter, they respond with; **‘Dude, we’re like a cannibalistic Batman.’**

So yeah, Peter and Venom have found a semblance of normalcy in their life. They’ve settled down in Queens, their aunt and best friend are taking any slipups in their behaviour in stride, Eddie, Anne and Dan are keeping in contact, and it turns out that New York has plenty of Really Bad Guys.

The world may be in shambles, the Avengers may be fighting each other, and Eddie may still be a tiny bit jealous of Dan, but Peter and Venom think things will be okay.

And then there’s a knock at their door.

Looking back on the events to come, they will later blame things on Parker luck at its finest. Of freaking course it is.


	2. Chapter 2

Shark has lived a long life of nine years. His limbs are beginning to ache, his ears aren’t all they used to be and his memory- what was he doing again? He drops his nose, sniffing the strange wood-fluff-not-leather(couch) thing before deeming it worthy. He cocks his hind leg.

Ah, yes, introductions to the audience.

Shark doesn’t remember much from before the cage, only the feeling of loving hands and yummy dead-white-neck-meat(chicken?) and the calls of _‘Pan! C’mere boy!’_. He may have not liked the name, but man, those were the days.

But that all changed, and by the time he turned seven his human had abandoned him. Really, what an unfortunate turn of events! It was very rude for them do so such a thing. To think he had put in so much effort in scaring other humans away from their territory!

Then came the cage, with a cage and another dog next to it, and that dog’s cage had a cage next to it as well, and _that_ dog had a cage with another dog next to it, and-

Shark can’t quite remember where he was going with that, but he does remember the _cat_. All prissy and well-groomed and free to wander about outside the cages as though the bloody thing owned the place. Bah!

One day, as Shark is plotting the demise of the ginger feline fur ball (his plan had something to do with hairballs, he thinks) a strange human that stinks of lavender-old-death comes to his cage, coos at him and says; ‘Aren’t you the cutest little thing?’

‘Ma’am,’ the human-that-sometimes-feeds-him says to the other human, ‘this dog has a tendency to bark and bite, despite his small size.’

Shark can’t help but feel insulted. Had he been able to understand human words other than ‘boy’, ‘food’, ‘git’ and ‘Pan’, he would know that this is because a) ‘bark and bite’ (feh, what else is he supposed to do with that cat taunting him all the time?), and b) ‘small size’ (he is of perfect height, thank you very much, everyone else is just gigantic).

The lavender-old-death takes him home, despite the warnings of human-that-sometimes-feeds-him. The lavender-old-death gives him a collar, shining and pink, and Shark wags his tail happily. Finally, he is free. The cat may not have been bested, but at least he won’t have to see the thing ever again.

And then lavender-old-death calls him ‘Madame Fluffy’, which for whatever reason lost to his fading memory, Shark understands all too clearly. Despite his elegance and grace, Shark is by no means a miss. He is an Alpha, strong and commanding; the leader of the pack.

(The cat used to mock him for having ‘little dog syndrome’. What a load of rubbish!)

There is nothing wrong with the female of canine kind. Shark has not had any experience with the female, but he does know that they are strong and vicious and- and-

He’s forgotten. Huh.

But the bottom line is that while a female is powerful and deserves the uttermost respect, Shark is not one.

He tries to tell lavender-old-death this, displaying his dominant nature for all to see, huffing and growling and marking his territory. He gets sprayed by strange-squirt-water-plastic(spray bottle) for his efforts. When showing off his leadership doesn’t work, Shark decides that perhaps he can at least correct the name lavender-old-death has given him.

Fluffy is far worse than Pan.

His old owner used to let Shark watch the TV (oh! Another word he knows!), where strange water beasts with great sharp teeth and even bigger bodies move with the swiftness and grace of Shark’s own breed- the Papillion are an epic and snappy canine, after all.

It takes a while for Shark to figure out that, in human tongue, these sharp-teeth-water-beasts are known as ‘sharks’, which, woah, such a majestic name for creatures nearly as majestic as Shark himself.

So, Shark tries to convey this to lavender-old-death, bearing his teeth as wide as he can, snapping at thin air as to mimic the great sharks eating small-water-beasts, and even wiggling his body along the floor to imitate how the sharks swim.

‘D’aww, aren’t you just the cutest little thing, Miss Fluffy.’

It appears, however, that his attempts are for naught. Humans simply cannot fully grasp the way dogs try to communicate with them.

Shark resigns himself to spending the rest of his days in a home that smells of clean-people-death(nursing home), with an owner who does not understand him.

Then one day, as Shark is sitting quietly on the floor by the side of lavender-old-death’s bed, a strange-danger-wrong thing slithers towards him, _into_ him. Shark believes he is going to die, whimpering and cowering inside his own head. But instead, he meets something that knows his name.

On that day, Shark meets Venom, and then the person that will become his new owner, a human pup that smells of _spiders_ and _different_ and _alien_.

* * *

The pup-spider-different-alien (Venom?) takes him home. He is on his best behaviour when introduced to the human that smells of food-home-welcome-kind, knowing on some instinctive level that if he is to stay, this female will be the one to decide.

The food-home-welcome-kind is hesitant, and as pup-spider-different-alien speaks, Shark puts on his most adorable face, swallowing his Alpha pride and going belly up for food-home-welcome-kind.

Shark has been abandoned, locked away, taunted and mocked and misunderstood. But these humans are different, he can smell it. They’ll take good care of him.

So long as he can convince them to let him stay.

It must be his charms, but after a few sceptical words with the pup, food-home-welcome-kind gives in.

Now that that’s been sorted out, Shark starts working on making sure every other animal knows this is his territory.

* * *

Apart from some initial ‘no, don’t you dare’s, followed by being taken out to the bush just outside the dwelling, food-home-welcome-kind takes to Shark rather well. She feeds him and pets him and sometimes even brings home cheap squeaky dead (but strangely rubbery) animals, which is awesome. She even lets him sleep on the bed! That’s something he doesn’t remember ever being able to do before.

Pup-spider-different-alien is there too (they take Shark for walks once a day and feed him scraps straight off the plate) but apart from his initial connection to Venom, Shark does not find pup-spider-different-alien very entertaining.

He much prefers food-home-welcome-kind, to the point where he continues to go belly up for her in a show of trust. He may be an Alpha (‘little dog syndrome’ the memory of the cat idly mocks him), but food-home-welcome-kind has become The Queen. All capitals. Not that Shark knows what capital letters are.

The Queen cares for her pup (even though pup-spider-different-alien is not really hers) and Shark both. She works lots, loves even more, and is so determined and powerful that Shark has decided that he will protect her at all costs.

 When a strange man smelling of metal-death-tired-lonely comes knocking on the door, Shark lets out a loud warning. And when metal-death-tired-lonely doesn’t even acknowledge him, well, is it really all that surprising that Shark goes for the ankles?

* * *

‘Ouch!’ Tony Stark ( _The_ Tony Stark) cries, looking down for the first time since entering the apartment of simple, somewhere-lower-than-middle-class May Parker.

May tries not to let everything overwhelm her, barely holding back on saying something along the lines of _holy mother fuc-fudging shit_. Instead, she quickly picks up the growling and yapping Shark, who just like his namesake, has decided to go in for a bite.

She’s beginning to suspect that the Papillion has a bit of Chihuahua mixed in. May doesn’t want to think of Shark, elegant, beautiful, well behaved Shark having anything in common with those awful things with evil eyes, but…

He did just bite someone.

And that someone just so happens to be Tony Stark, genius billionaire, who for whatever reason decided to come knocking on the door of the Parker’s humble abode.

Oh shit, she can barely afford to pay the rent. If Stark goes running to a lawyer or if he reports Shark to animal control-

‘I am so, so sorry.’ May says, attempting to calm Shark down. She needs to fix this, gods, how on earth does one fix something like this? At least Peter isn’t here, he’s been having a hard enough time as it is. If he knew that the dog he bought home was going to be put down because it bit the ankles of the one person he looks up to and respects far more than anyone else, because for whatever reason _The_ Tony Stark had decided to visit them-

She’s going around in circles. Shark still hasn’t stopped growling in her arms.

And Tony Stark is still there, looking rather concerned and mildly fearful. Honestly, he kind of looks like a kicked puppy. May has taken quite a liking to them recently, having been looking into getting Shark a playmate. With their adorable eyes and affinity for chaos. Huh.

Now, May tends to try and keep things PG, more-so to be a good influence on Peter than anything else. But Peter isn’t here, she is beyond stressed, and the readers probably won’t give a flying fuck (hopefully).

So, rather than saying something polite and apologetic once again, when May opens her mouth what comes out is; ‘Shit- gods- fuck- let me just- Shark isn’t normally like this, I swear.’ Huh, she just swore at _The_ Tony Stark. ‘Mother hugger.’

‘Uhh… I can come back later, if you want?’ He pauses, hesitant. ‘I mean I really can’t, but I guess I could…?’

May shoves Shark into the closest room, shutting the door before turning back to _The_ Tony Stark. Which is still really weird. ‘No. It’s alright. I just-’ She takes a deep breath. ‘-may I ask why you’re here, exactly?’

After that they sit down, instant coffee in hand and ignoring the frantic yaps from Shark (who is definitely at least fifty precent Chihuahua), _The_ Tony Stark tells her about Peter’s application for the ‘Stark Internship’.

May has never heard of it, but Peter has been keeping secrets recently. She does suppose that it explains a few things.

* * *

The thing about Peter and Venom is that they are, for lack of better words, like a spectrum. On one side is Peter Benjamin Parker, and on the other is Venom. It’s as though there is a line connecting the two entities, balancing them out. Though despite this analogy, they have learnt that they are never just Peter, nor just Venom. Instead, they are always somewhere in between.

In some moments they are more Peter than Venom, and in others they are more Venom than Peter. Sometimes they are a perfect combination of both.

But that isn’t quite right, either. Placing them in a box is impossible, they are what they are. And someday, they dread having to try to explain that to the people around them. Fortunately, Eddie, Anne and Dan hadn’t asked them how it worked back in San Francisco. There was a barrier there, before they had even begun to contemplate how their mind worked, and all three of the people that had helped them had respected that boundary for what it was.

They don’t think that they could explain how their shared mind worked to anyone, though a spectrum is as good of an example as any.

There is a certain irony about how one can contemplate something, and then have that something become glaringly relevant in their lives. In this case, when they arrive home from school and find _The_ Tony Stark sitting on their couch, it’s decidedly a good thing that today has been more of a ‘Peter’ day.

* * *

_Oh crud oh crap oh shiiii-iet muffins on a freaking popsicle stick the Avengers have found us what the fuck do we do?_

**Eat him.**

_What? No way! This is The Tony Stark. Oh my gosh, it’s TONY STARK!! They sent Iron Man after us oh my gosh oh frick Iron Man is here he knows about us what do we do??_

**Eeeeeat him.**

_But it’s-_

**Eeeeeeeeat him.**

In their panic, things become a bit blurry. One minute they are in the entryway of the house, and the next thing they know they’re standing in their bedroom, stock-still and panicking internally. _The_ Tony Stark is poking around, explaining something about their Aunt and oh gods they’re going to be killed or locked away and experimented on by their favourite hero.

But how did the Avengers find out about them? They were so careful!

Well, maybe not _so_ careful. They never bothered to wear a costume when they went prowling as Venom, the Symbiote had that covered when they needed to fight, and their body is fairly unassuming otherwise.

But it’s New York! There are plenty of other people that would be far more likely to look like they were hosting an Alien Symbiote. Like Eddie. Eddie always looks and acts like he’s been possessed. It’s part of why they like him so much.

**Eeeeeeat him.**

Peter is aware they are flailing their arms now, even through their panicked thoughts. In this moment they are torn; do they strike first in hopes that they survive, or do they not fight at all because this is _Tony Freaking Stark we can’t hurt him he is so frigging amazing asfhagjkahgndjk._

Peter is also aware that in being torn between the choice of life and death, they are torn between freedom and being Tony Stark’s biggest fan.

**Eeeeeeeat him.**

_But-_

**Eeeeeeeeeat him.**

_But he’s-_

**Eeeeeeeeeeeat him.**

_Jeez, okay, alright Parker. We can do this. Can totally do this. We can totally fight Iron Man. Right. Okay. Let’s do this._

The black tendrils of their power slowly creep up through their skin, ready to attack. Still, they hesitate. They hadn’t thought they would start their Villain Origin Story quire yet, if ever.

Batman meets Hannibal Lecter one night, Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man the next? Sure.

Being branded a full-on villain because they attacked Iron Man? Nope. Nu-uh. They aren’t prepared for this. The newspapers already give them a hard enough time as it is!

Besides, they don’t want to hurt one of the people the Peter side of them has admired for as long as they can remember.

_Here goes nothi-_

‘So Spider-Man, how do you feel about Germany?’

_Wait, what?_

* * *

Tony observes the kid (because that’s what he is, just a _kid_ ) and knows he’s adding another item to his list of Bad Decisions. He worries, he worries that by being in contact with the kid, that having any influence in the kid’s life, he will inevitably screw up Peter Parker.

It hasn’t been long since he met Peter, only a few moments after holding a conversation with the kid’s Aunt and discreetly discovering that no, she does not know her nephew swings around the city in a poorly made bright red jumpsuit. And he knows that’s what Peter wears because he’s holding said jumpsuit at this very moment, already drafting a new suit for the kid in his head.

Said kid is swinging his arms around like crazy and Tony can’t help but smile despite himself, despite the situation. Sure, he had done some research before meeting the kid, but he had no idea just how much of a fan Peter was of his.

It’s oddly adorable and warms Tony’s supposedly non-existent heart for the first time in far too long. Some of his stress has been alleviated in their interactions, too. Though not much. He still has to face Steve and the rest of the rogues on the battlefield, still has to keep himself together despite how much the team had meant to him.

And he will still have to face the fact that bringing The Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man into a fight against legends, against ~~the arse~~ the symbol of America.

But he’s desperate. He needs help, and Spider-Man is his only option.

So be it, he’ll just make Peter the safest damn suit ever made. Tony’s only known the kid for less than an hour, but if anything were to happen to him… well…

Nothing had better happen to him, damn it.

* * *

They agree. They agree to go to Germany, to fight the rogue Avengers that have been using the world as their playground of dangers. They are aware, on some level, that what they do should lump them in with the rogues, that they themselves are worse than the chaos and fear Steve Rogers and his gang have caused the world.

They can’t let _The_ Tony Stark (now Mr. Stark) know exactly what he has recruited. They will fight for him, but only as Spider-Man.

Still, they are jittery, excitement bubbling beneath their skin despite the fear in their shared thoughts. As they make their way to the airport, they ramble on to the driver, Happy, from the backseat. Despite their nerves, they are confident that they will get through this battle, safely. Surely nothing could be as bad as Riot?

Then they arrive at the airport, and remember that yes, there is something that could be worse than Riot. That high-pitched, shrieking _sound_ comes to their attention as a plane flies low over their head. They have to cover their ears, their very being trembling as the sound seems to split their head in two.

They can feel themselves losing control, falling onto the gravelly asphalt of the runway in front of one of Mr. Stark’s private jets. The part of them that isn’t consumed by pain is desperate to get away, but they can’t move. They feel like they’re going to split in two, and if it is anything like the last time, maybe they will be.

How did they forget that Germany was overseas? Despite Geography not being one of their strongest points, that should have been fairly obvious.

They lose awareness for a moment, and the next thing they know Happy is carrying them into Mr. Stark’s jet, cradling them with a care unexpected from his build and behaviours. He places them down, and they have to quell the urge to lash out but are oh so grateful when they manage not to do so.

Once the door is closed, Happy holds out a pair of headphones for them. The shrieking has quieted, but it’s still loud enough for them to feel ill. There’s a smidge of concern on Happy’s stoic face, and they opt to indulge him in his offering. Placing the headphones over their ears, they groan. Noise cancelling, for most people. But not them.

Not them.

They did help with the _sound_ , though.

**We’re keeping him.**

‘Definitely.’ The word leaves their mouth without their knowledge. Then, intentionally; ‘Thank you so much.’

‘Super senses,’ Happy explains, and they really do have to wonder how he got the name, stoic doesn’t cut it. ‘I had been informed that they might make some things difficult.’

Well. They weren’t exactly going to correct his assumption.

‘Thank you.’ They repeat. ‘We’re keeping you.’

Happy raises an eyebrow but says nothing else until they reach their destination.

* * *

When Peter is given the new suit, they start contemplating keeping Mr. Stark, too. It’s the same way they perceive Aunt May, now. And Ned, and Eddie, and Anne, and Dan. Shark too. Now Happy has been added to that growing list, because Happy is awesome.

It’s the way they view the people they love, that they would do anything for. The people they get attached to.

They think that it should matter that all it took was a show of thoughtfulness on top of another, shiny show of thoughtfulness, for them to get so attached. Batman meets Hannibal Lecter meets Magpie, apparently.

Oh well.

* * *

So apparently Captain America’s shield is a whole lot more awesome up close, possibly equally as shiny as the suit Mr. Stark has given them. Woah. Magpie indeed.

The fight with the rest of the rogue Avengers, not so shiny. They swing and banter and dodge, covering for the shattered remains of their side, but they don’t attack, not really. They want to, oh how they want to. But they don’t- can’t. Because despite not knowing every detail of the situation, what they do know is that Mr. Stark is trying to do good, to take accountability for every building that’s been destroyed, every life that’s been lost, for every survivor who has to cope with the trauma of the events leading up to this moment.

Hidden deep down they are so, _so_ angry. That anger is cradled close to their shared heart, right next to their growing admiration of Iron Man, who is fighting for and listening to the world.

So the battle continues, and as it does Spider-Man continues to act as a distracting. If they do anything else, well, they know that they will be pushed too far.

**Eeeeeeeeat them.**

_Dude, not now._

* * *

The battle ends, as these things tend to, and soon Peter and Venom find themselves back in New York. They talk excitedly to Aunt May, explaining the wonders of Germany without giving away what, exactly, they were doing in Germany.

Not soon after their return they learn about War Machine, James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes injuries being broadcast worldwide for the, well, the entire world to bare witness. The anger they had felt during the battle returns, combining with their barely contained bloodlust, and on that night they prowl the city as Venom.

After they calm down, they call Anne. Anne, wonderful Anne, listens to them without judgment, and offers her own answers and speculations.

‘Why did they do it? We get that it was a battle, but what right did they have to do something like that? And then to just- leave him to fall? How could they do that?’

_‘They didn’t have that right.’_ Anne answers from the other side of the phone call. _‘I think… I think that Captain America believes that, in saving the Winter Soldier, and in everything else, he can get away with anything. That is the crux of the issue. Had he not thought himself holier than thou, he may have realised that there were other options for the both of them. And then, because Captain America is fearless in the face of consequences, the others were drawn to that characteristic like a moth to a flame.’_

‘Are we… are we like Captain America, do you think?’

_‘In some ways, yes.’_ Comes the reply, blunt and honest. _‘The two of you are like him in the way that you would do anything for those you love. But while he deludes himself into believing that nothing he can do is wrong, what do you guys do?’_

There’s a pause. They don’t want to answer and as it turns out, they don’t have to. Anne is awesome like that. Continuing, she explains; _‘You understand that the things you do are immoral, and that most will perceive it as downright monstrous. There is awareness there, along with boundaries that have been set.’_

‘But we-’

_‘Captain America’s actions have caused harm to innocent people. He shoves his head into the sand and pretends it’s all just. Neither Peter Parker nor Venom, or the combination of the two, have done that. I hope both of you understand that.’_

‘We- we do, thank you.’

_‘And thank you for calling me instead of Eddie, or Dan. Imagine talking to them about this. They’d probably tell you two to eat Captain America.’_ There’s a chuckle there, humorous in a way that has them laughing along with Anne for a few moments, before they finish up their conversation.

The next day they hear about Siberia, about the injuries Mr. Stark had sustained and the condition he was found in, and they know Anne was joking. They know it.

But, well. They’ve grown attached to Mr. Stark, however brief the encounter may have been. The man gave them a shiny suit, for Pete’s sake!

**Eeeeeeeat him.**

Yeah. They were totally going to go full-blown Hannibal Lecter meets Batman on the arse of America.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really do have a lot of fun writing this series, this part was especially fun in regards to writing Ned as a chaotic gay mess (is mood) and delving further into Peter-Venom as a whole. I have this image in my head of how their shared mind works, and it really is impossible to explain entirely, but it is something I am excited to go into more depth with as things progress. 
> 
> If any of you readers want to leave what you think of this part, I'd really appreciate the feedback. Hope you enjoyed the read! :D


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